WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. May 3, 2004, UPDATED 6 P.M.:  WPCNR has learned that the City School District has refused to accept the Eastview baseball and softball fields,  newly resurfaced and graded by the City of White Plains, calling them unsafe and not ready to play. This has resulted in the exiling the White Plains Middle School softball and baseball modified teams to other fields in the city.

On Monday afternoon, Mike Lynch, Facilities Director for the school district, called WPCNR and said he had not rejected the fields, (as WPCNR was told by a school district authority) and that the fields were not offered by the city to the district to accept or reject. Lynch said he, his foreman, Bennie Cipriano, and Athletic Director Mario Scarano had toured the field and met and Lynch said he had discussed with the foreman and Mr. Scarano ways the field could be improved.

When asked if he felt the fields were fit for the White Plains children to play ball on at that time, Mr. Lynch did not answer my question. When asked what improvements he felt had to be made at that discussion, Mr. Lynch did not tell me what the improvements he had to be made. He did say the city had discussed borrowing a roto tiller to loosen up the infields.

When asked if he knew a date when the city would have the fields "ready," Lynch said he did not have a date.

READY TO PLAY? SCHOOL DISTRICT DOES NOT THINK SO: The newly resurfaced field at Eastview Middle School the School District was depending on for middle school baseball and softball was being raked this morning by workers, contracted for by the city, trying to clear it of extensive broken glass so a soccer game sponsored by the Department of Recreation & Parks could be played there, a city hall spokesman, Paul Wood said. The School District rejected the fields this week  as unfit for play, and refused to accept them from the city. The City Department of Recreation and Parks has made available Delfino II and Gille II fields to accommodate practices and games of the Middle School baseball and softball teams as the field is brought up to School District standards. WPCNR surveyed the fields this morning and noted extensive shards of glass throughout half the soccer field, an unraked infield, and an outfield/soccer field with tufts of crab grass and extensive bare patches, obviously not resodded during the renovation.  Photos by WPCNR News.

Parents informed WPCNR of the loss of the fields late Thursday evening, reporting the closure was necessitated by  vandalism of the fields, leaving broken glass on the surfaces. WPCNR will attempt to find out how long the fields will be out of commission.

Paul Wood said he would check into when the city expected to have the fields ready.

The baseball and softball fields behind the Stop N Shop were supposed to be prepared and readied by the City Department of Public Works to be the home fields for the White Plains Middle School teams this spring. Now due to the reported glass-strewn field the Middle School teams, parents say, will be limited to one hour practices due to the busing required to ferry Highlands and Eastview athletes to a different venue in the city. The school district is looking into the possibilities of adding on a special bus for the Middle School players, in order to extend the practices.

The White Plains modified softball and baseball teams have traditionally been the poor cousins of White Plains Athletic program, playing on the delapidated Ralph Field, just recently skinned for softball. This year thanks to the city, modified softball was going to be different with the "upgrading" of the Eastview fields. Now, unless the city and the School District work fast to shape up the fields and make them safe that will not happen, and another class of Middle School players will be forced to play in minimum standard playing conditions.

WPCNR was surprised for on closer inspection of the field there was no new sodding, there were multiple bare spots, that in our opinion, would cause unsafe footing for soccer players who have to make sharp cuts and dekes far more than outfielders do.

For a supposedly redone field, it is a disgrace.

It was the second time in a week that the Department of Public Works ability to maintain the city fields was brought into question, since the DPW took over the fields a year and a half ago.  City fields were declared unplayable Tuesday evening due to .75 inches of rain Monday, which is not a lot of rain.